My Virginia 30 Acre Timber Sale

[CADplans]

15 years ago, my older neighbor needed some extra retirement money, he offered to sell me some land.
I could afford it, so the wife and I decided to buy the land.
We really did not know what the timber was worth,, we just wanted a bigger buffer between us and the neighbor,
Well, one day a guy down the road sold some timber, I was astounded at the money he got,,,

3 1/2 years ago, we decided to sell the timber. I hired a forester, he cruised it, and I put it out for bids.
The half dozen bids that came back seemed too low,,, so, we rejected all of the bids.

One guy came back, and asked what we wanted,, out of the blue, I came up with a number that was 40% above the highest bid.
He responded that we would never get that,, my amount was "ridiculous" :confused2: :laughing:
I felt the price of timber would go up over time,, and my timber would grow,, so eventually, the my price would be correct.

If it took ten years,, I was willing to wait.
Well,, This past Saturday, the guy came to my house,,, with the check, for my "ridiculous" amount.
He said it would be a week or two before they showed up,,, Monday afternoon,, a D5 CAT was setting in my driveway,,,

The loggers dad came over the next morning, and widened my driveway entrance,,,

Wednesday, a skidder was unloaded

I think they were ready to start cutting my place!! :thumbsup:
More pics to follow,,,

 

[freedomlives]

What's growing there? Oak?

 

[CADplans]

What's growing there? Oak?

My timber is 3/4 poplar, the rest is mostly oak.

 

[Turbys_1700]

We had 20 acres of mostly chestnut oak cut off the farm a couple years ago. They actually paid for 10 acres of lowland poplars but left them. Guess they didn't figure it was worth the time and effort to get. A Forrester appraised the value of the timber and we took a lower bid very close to that value. Timber prices fluctuate with supply and demand. Timing is the key. Glad you got your price. Post some pics. It took the crew that cut our timber a couple weeks and the area was a very steep rocky outlay typical of chestnut oak. Neighbors would drop by just to see the progress.

 

[mcfarmall]

You should have plenty of repair work to do with your CUT and landscape rake when they finish having their way with your property! Post lots of pictures.

 

[coldsteelva]

I see they got the lo-boy in there with the skidder, but how are they going to be able to get logging trucks in there?

 

[smstonypoint]

We had 20 acres of mostly chestnut oak cut off the farm a couple years ago. They actually paid for 10 acres of lowland poplars but left them. Guess they didn't figure it was worth the time and effort to get. A Forrester appraised the value of the timber and we took a lower bid very close to that value. Timber prices fluctuate with supply and demand. Timing is the key. Glad you got your price. Post some pics. It took the crew that cut our timber a couple weeks and the area was a very steep rocky outlay typical of chestnut oak. Neighbors would drop by just to see the progress.

My sales are "pay as cut" for tax reasons. In 2014, I had a second thinning of a 30-acre pine plantation and a clear-cut of about eight acres of mixed hardwoods and pines that were about 60 years old. I received a higher price/ton for the poplar than for any other species (mainly loblolly pines, and red and white oak).

Steve

 

[DrRod]

I wish you well with this but I would be a bit cautious about these guys. Our consulting forester always says "you do this once or twice in a lifetime but the logger does it every day -- you need someone to look out for your interests."

When we cut timber, the logger has to post a bond, meet water runoff and erosion control requirements, and meet slash and stump standards. The logger is naturally interested in doing the job as quickly and cheaply as possible and the potential for a real mess is always present. Not to mention taking trees not marked for the sale. Every sale has required a little remedial work as they come to a finish. So if you are going it alone, plan to be out there early and often.

 

[CADplans]

This is the forth acreage that these guys have harvested near here in the last half a decade.
I have zero concerns about over-harvesting, they are clear cutting.

They gave me the bond as extra payment,, I am to refund it when they are done.
Other than down branches, and usual wear and tear,, they try to leave the place nicer than when they came.

Sure there will be branches everywhere,, but, that is fertilizer for the next harvest.

 

[oosik]

My 80 acres is NOT a cushy soft primeval type of forrest situation. What little dirt I have overlays basaltic lava. So when the ground dries - as it does every summer - this mixture of clay, silt, volcanic ash and minimal organics turns to good 'ol concrete.

I had my property selectively logged about twelve years ago. I was pleasantly surprised - when they finished, the branches were pushed into numerous piles and the deep track marks had all been graded out. I chose to leave the branch piles - the quail use them year round for roosting and nesting.

Three years after the logging event you had to look carefully to see any remaining traces of this ever happening.